The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for mechanically lifting the abdominal wall away from the underlying abdominal organs during laparoscopic procedures. In its more specific aspects, the invention is concerned with such an apparatus and method wherein the abdominal wall is lifted internally by a mechanical device which is introduced blindly or laparoscopically and, once in place, expanded to engage an extensive area of the abdominal wall. The invention is also concerned with an apparatus and method for draping the abdominal organs and displacing a particular organ, such as the gallbladder, for treatment.
Laparoscopy dates back to the turn of the 20th Century. Early laparoscopic techniques were used primarily for diagnostic purposes to view the internal organs, without the necessity of conventional surgery. Since the 1930s, laparoscopy has been used for sterilization and, more recently, for the suturing of hernias. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,919,152 and 4,944,443 are concerned with techniques of the latter type. Another very recent innovation is the use of laparoscopic surgery for removal of the gallbladder.
The concept of using mechanical retraction schemes to lift the abdominal wall away from the underlying abdominal organs during laparoscopic procedures is new to the present invention. Procedures presently in use use carbon dioxide insufflation to tent up the interior of the abdominal wall. This requires gas seals to be present at all entry ports through the abdominal wall; and because of the doming effect of insufflation, the laparoscopic instruments (graspers, scissors, electrocautery instruments, etc.), need long shafts (on the order of 12 to 13 inches) to reach the treatment site. Such instruments are difficult to control and result in exaggerated movements during instrument application.